WASHINGTON — The United States and its powerful Western allies on Thursday strongly denounced attacks carried out by the Iran-backed Houthi militia against Saudi Arabia and its ongoing offensive in the Yemeni governorate of Ma’rib. The US, France, Germany, Italy, and United Kingdom held the Houthi militia responsible for the worsening humanitarian crisis in the war-hit country, in a strongly-worded statement. “We, the governments of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, condemn the sustained Houthi offensive on the Yemeni city of Ma’rib and the major escalation of attacks the Houthis have conducted and claimed against Saudi Arabia. Their determined attack on Ma’rib is worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis,” the statement read. Calling on the Houthis to end the offensive, the Western powers said: “Our renewed diplomatic efforts to end the Yemen conflict, in support of the UN Special Envoy, with the support of Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the international community, offer the best hope for ending this war. We urge the Houthis to seize this opportunity for peace and end the ongoing escalation.” Reiterating their support for Saudi Arabia in face of the Houthi attacks, the US and its allies said: “We reiterate our firm commitment to the security and integrity of Saudi territory, and to restoring stability and calm along the Saudi/Yemeni border. We reaffirm our strong support for a swift resolution of the Yemeni conflict, which will bring much-needed stability to the region and immediate benefit to the people of Yemen.”